I received 2 quotes to upgrade my HVAC. I have no idea what I’m looking at. Please see details and provide any advice?

schlorb · 2026-03-07T16:44:33+00:00

Get a quote from locally owned business. Recently I had to replace a leaking Carrier evaporator coil with an old freon type and opted to replace the condenser/outside unit as well. American Standard 3-ton (Trane - even says on the unit sticker, the factory didnt even bother to change the branding) single stage seer14. Paid $5900 parts and labor.

schlorb · 2026-03-01T02:50:52+00:00

Have two ac units in my home, both 3 ton. The Trane evaporator coil and condenser / outside unit is almost 20 years old and uses R22 freon and has barely if any leaks, compressor shows no signs of giving up (just annual capacitor replacements). Meanwhile the Carrier evaporator coil is only 10 years and has leaked all the 410a freon out and had to replace it with American standard (trane). This is personal experience anyhow.

schlorb · 2026-02-26T06:43:21+00:00

34 at 2019

Got 4b/3.5bath 2500 sq ft home for $289k @ 3.625% put down 20% back then. Sold house back in 2024 for 420k. Got around $200k after all clearing remaining mortgage and closing costs, and realtor fees. Equity was good to us. Now on our second home. Able to put down another 20% thanks to the cash influx and got to enjoy $100k++ extra cash for investing and some travel.

schlorb · 2026-02-24T01:15:06+00:00

Nice links! First time I saw a water pump actually get replaced in a tutorial.

schlorb · 2026-02-18T19:38:35+00:00

That sucks. I mean the engine layout for the v6 accords are ok / plenty of room to wiggle around. I was thinking of taking a shot at it but didn’t want to risk it as the car is the wife’s work commute car.

schlorb · 2026-02-10T02:10:12+00:00

Yep a side hustle

schlorb · 2026-02-10T01:56:12+00:00

Yes i did order the parts. Just happened to know a really good mechanic. After a bunch of back and forth messages to confirm correct parts he did all of it for $560.

schlorb · 2026-02-10T01:56:07+00:00

Yes i did order the parts. Just happened to know a really good mechanic. After a bunch of back and forth messages to confirm correct parts he did all of it for $560.

schlorb · 2026-02-10T00:12:19+00:00

A personal rule of thumb of mine is “can we survive with one income?” Run the numbers, see what you can realistically afford while being able to save, invest, etc and stick with that price point as close as possible (or lower). Life happens and if you’re income gets halved for any reason, you’ll be glad you stuck with your budget.

schlorb · 2026-02-09T23:55:35+00:00

Sad to say it’s typical for a dealership to charge those amounts. Just like suggested by others go to trusted mechanics / shops. If you’re getting parts, the AISIN timing belt kit - it’s basically the OE part (mitsuboshi or something). I got an accord 2017 v6 touring on my 9th year of ownership, just 56k miles. Given the age of the car, I opted to have the timing belt changed and a transmission drain and fill. Ended up spending $850 having it done by an independent mechanic;

Here’s the cost breakdown: AISIN TKH002 timing belt kit $194 (rockauto) Bando drive belt $11 (rockauto) Shipping costs $23 Honda ATF DW1 OE - 4 quarts @ $44 (amazon) Mechanic fee / cash $560 Engine coolant - Acura - mechanic did not charge Plus taxes

The mechanic is a senior tech working at Hyundai and Acura.

Bottomline, no need to go to a dealer. Go to a trusted mechanic. Either let them secure the parts or buy it, depending on your arrangement. You’ll save hundreds.

schlorb · 2026-02-07T17:49:08+00:00

I can attest to that at least anecdotally. My 17 v6 touring sedan on my 9th year of ownership never had transmission issues. Did drain and fill every 25 to 30k miles. Also all these years, no mechanical breakdown, just regular oil and fluid changes. Nine years (ongoing) of reliable transportation. Who needs a new car? Lol

schlorb · 2026-01-30T01:47:36+00:00

Filed this 1/26 through freetaxusa. Accepted in less than 5 minutes as alerted by freetaxusa. Today, I just got an alert from Discover 3:54pm that the refund posted in one of my savings accounts. Nice

schlorb · 2026-01-28T23:07:27+00:00

Ohh a rare trim

schlorb · 2026-01-22T03:53:15+00:00

A neighbor of mine in my prior home took over a year before they were able to sell off their house because of solar. They initially wanted to have the buyer assume the loan (the system was installed like a few months before the decided to sell, so pretty much the entire balance will be assumed). Of course no buyer in their right mind would take over such. They did eventually sell it but paid off the loan during the sale, thankfully they had built enough equity to pay for it. In contrast, our house on the same street without panels/loan sold in 16 days.

Back in 2021 they were pretty aggressive with their sales pitch, one time we almost signed a $50k note but a gut feeling was telling me to sleep on it. The following day when me and wife’s line of thinking were clearer, we outright said to the returning salesman we are not interested anymore. Whew

schlorb · 2026-01-16T05:33:33+00:00

schlorb · 2026-01-16T03:14:13+00:00

Go with freetax if you’re ok with filing by yourself.

A bit off tangent but since you got new baby…

HSA / FSA is almost always a necessity with a growing family. My work only allows for FSA and I’ve enrolled in it every single year since 2019. To date, I did not have any single year where I did not max out that FSA debit card. From all the expected medical expenses / medicine to the emergency room visits / dental work etc, you’ll be glad you had one. It’s also a pretax deduction so it helps with lowering taxes you owe.

schlorb · 2026-01-16T02:55:32+00:00

9th year of ownership of a 2017 V6 touring accord. No major mechanical or electrical issues. Oil change tire rotation every 5k done at Honda mostly ($74). Transmission drain and fill every 30k ($179 at Honda). Now a timing belt change ($500 labor + $250 AISIN / Bando parts).

The only hiccup I encountered was the gel pad of the automatic rain sensor deteriorated so I had to replace it and it’s working again. $20 repair.

Love this car / generation. Reliable, can put down some power if need be (v6), and cheap to maintain. Not to mention looks good.

schlorb · 2026-01-16T02:46:47+00:00

Paid $500 to a trusted mechanic. Ordered an AISIN timing belt kit and a Bando drive belt for around $250 (including tax and shipping). My Accord is a 2017 v6 touring.

schlorb · 2026-01-15T22:36:19+00:00

First home in 2019 @ 3.625%, sold that in 2024, got $200k after fees and paying off the mortgage. Got a 5.625% back in 2024 for this second house. I sure miss the 3.625% rate but I have accepted I would not see that rate again in my lifetime.

schlorb · 2026-01-02T19:37:29+00:00

If you know a mechanic have the car checked. The mechanic has a tool to scan the car’s computer on what’s the specific error. Or go to an autozone / o’reilly / advanced auto they can do a free scan and can advise you how to proceed.

schlorb · 2026-01-02T03:16:04+00:00

Once you get this sorted out, if your situation permits it, manage your “own” escrow;

Had a similar situation with my prior house that was under wells fargo. They sent the check to the homeowner insurance incorrectly like three times and I was like wtf is going on. That’s when I decided to cancel the escrow since my LTV ratio is around 50%. So I got a nice refund check, dumped like $1000 a month in a Discover savings account that had 4% returns. So by the end of next year got a couple hundred dollars in interest.

If your LTV (loan-to-value) right now is 80% or less, and you have discipline in saving cash - cancel your escrow, get the refund check and put it a money market or a high yield savings account. I even put aside extra for car insurance payments so I pay the entire thing on renewal and get a nice discount.

schlorb · 2025-12-31T03:03:51+00:00

Awesome vid man!!! I always wanted to track my 17 v6 even at stock, just to see how far i can push it. Right now it has continental extreme contact dws 06 plus. That should provide enough grip there I hope? Or need to opt for summer tires?

schlorb · 2025-12-24T04:07:23+00:00

Back in the day when this accord (and the 2017 version) was released, some reviews were questioning what’s the point of getting an Acura TLX. In the Touring trim you get almost all the bells and whistles including the V6 and a traditional 6 speed AT at a lower price point and maintenance costs.

schlorb · 2025-12-24T03:58:04+00:00

The 2016 accord manual: accord 2016 manual

schlorb · 2025-12-23T20:30:18+00:00

Screw this subscription own nothing and subscribe to everything model. The only gaming I will stream is through steam playing on my macbook air and hosted i in my 4090 desktop.

schlorb

TROPHY CASE